Prior to the birth of a baby, medical personnel conduct various examinations and tests on the baby and its mother in order to anticipate any medical issues which require treatment after birth. In doing this, medical staff can develop an appropriate course of care for the baby after birth. In some instances this course of care may require procedures to begin immediately at the birth of the baby. In addition to physical examinations, medical staff will also want to know about any behavior of the mother during pregnancy that may have adversely impacted the health, growth, or development of the baby. Specifically, the use of alcohol and drugs are of utmost interest to medical personnel.
Using current medical technology, many medical issues can be diagnosed prior to the birth of a baby. But, a baby may have medical problems that were not apparent or diagnosable while the baby was still in utero. And, if a mother has not been receiving any type of pre-natal care, there likely was not enough time to conduct examinations and tests prior to the birth of the baby. Without appropriate pre-natal care, medical personnel will have to rely solely on the mother for information regarding her pregnancy. In many cases, however, a mother may not be truthful with medical personnel if she engaged in questionable behavior that may have caused medical problems for her child. Further, neonates are also frequently screened for urinary tract infections.
One common method of medical diagnosis is urinalysis. In most cases, a urine sample is easily obtained as the process is relatively simple and does not require any type of assistance from another person. But, in the case of a neonate, the process is more difficult as a neonate has no control over its urinary functions. Moreover, a neonate cannot collect a urine sample the way a child or an adult can. It will be appreciated that these same issues may also pertain to comatose adults, and nursing home patients. However, under certain circumstances, even older patients may be unable to assist in collecting a urine sample.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for collecting a urine sample from a neonate. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for collecting a urine sample from a neonate immediately after birth. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for collecting a urine sample from a neonate that is easy to use, is relatively simple to manufacture, and is comparatively cost effective.